


Moving as One

by sgteam14283



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mako and Raleigh dancing together makes me all fuzzy inside, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2013-08-20
Packaged: 2017-12-23 21:24:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/931250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgteam14283/pseuds/sgteam14283
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In order to fight as one they had to move as one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moving as One

**Author's Note:**

> Was flipping through the PR artbook (which is amazing btw) and came across a concept drawing of Mako and Raleigh slow dancing in the Kwoon with Stacker looking on and seeing them have to learn how to mirror each other without there being a lead made me all giddy and thus the one-shot was born. Also something to alleviate all the angst in the fandom (which is a good thing but sometimes I need a breather from the feels). Don't own anything you recognize and enjoy!

Raleigh wondered if this was some form of revenge Stacker came up with for choosing Mako as his co-pilot. It was bad enough that Mako had chased the RABIT and almost destroyed the jaeger bay (although to be fair it was entirely his fault, dropping out of sync which caused her to chase the memory) but now he had to deal with _this_.

Mako let out a yelp and Raleigh realized that he’d stepped on her foot. Automatically he took a step back and said, “Sorry.” 

“That’s okay, you didn’t step on it that hard.” Mako replied while absentmindedly tucking her hair behind her ears, her drive suit creaking slightly with the movement.

“Again.” Stacker said from his spot on the floor. 

“Explain to me again why we have to do this?” Raleigh asked as Mako moved closer to him and took his hand in hers while placing the other one on his waist.

“Because you need to learn how to move together, without hesitation outside of the drift.” Stacker said as he watched Raleigh place his free hand on Mako’s hip and they started to move to the music. Slowly pacing with them, hands clasped behind his back, he continued, “It’s not enough to be drift compatible, you need to know your co-pilots movements without even thinking about it. Remember-the deeper the bond, the better you fight.”

“But what does dancing have anything to do with it? I though one always took the lead.” 

“Not with slow dancing.” Mako spoke up as they moved. “When you slow dance you move in perfect time with them, not faster or slower. You both listen to the music and the beat, back and forth until there’s only you and your dance partner. Nothing else.” 

Raleigh was silent after Mako finished speaking, knowing that she was right. The few times he danced when he was younger it had mostly been slow dances, but that had been the awkward dancing of teenagers and not the one that adults used to connect with one another. And him and Mako slow dancing was different still, but the meaning was the same-don’t anticipate, just let it flow. 

They were silent at they moved their feet, back and forth back and forth and surprisingly enough, Raleigh felt himself relax and could feel Mako respond likewise. It was just them and the music. There were no kaiju, no hopes and fears, no realization that if they failed then millions would die. Just him, Mako, and the music.

Closing her eyes Mako listened to the soft music as it played, feeling herself gliding over the mat, knowing that Raleigh was finally getting the hang of it. That he was just letting himself get lost in the moment. 

\--

They fought as one.

True they were already one with the drift but now...now they didn’t need to shout what was going to happen, or even think it-they just did it. “ _Don’t anticipate, just let it flow._ ” Mako heard echo in her mind as they ran down the Hong Kong street towards Otachi, ready to protect the thousands of people in the city and boneslum. Pulling back for a punch Mako recalled the music that they’d listened while Stacker made them practice and dimly smiled as the memory flitted through their minds; the way they focused on just themselves and the music and how nothing else mattered.

Mako knew they needed to do that now, focus on killing the kaiju and as they battled all need for communication went away, save for the odd command-but by the time one of them spoke the other already knew what was going to happen. 

They were dancing to their own waltz and it was as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. To Mako and Raleigh there weren’t two people in the conn-pod.

There was only one.


End file.
